Device as a fastening for runways on a card index panel



Sept. 21, 1937. F. G. STRAUBEL" DEVICE AS A FASTENING FOR RUNWAYS ON A CARD INDEX PANEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 12, 1932 Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE AS A FASTENING FOR. RUNWAYS. ON A CARD INDEX PANEL Youngstown, Ohio Application August 12,4932, Serial No. 628,526

10 Claims.

The invention relates to card index panels used for slidably attaching index cards in alphabetical order or otherwise and suitable for filing in vertical filing drawers, in books or to be supported on a stand, said panels being made of suitable material, preferably aluminum.

The object of this invention is the provision of improved means for attaching and removing the runways or detachable card carriers upon which overlapping cards with out in lugs are slidably mounted for visible index purposes. Card panels similar to those described herein have been in use forsome time, one of which being covered by my patent of September 1, 1931, No. 1,821,244, but without the runways being detachable. Also panels with detachable runways or slides have been used but the device by which the runways are attached to the panels, I do not consider equal to my device herein described. The purpose for which detachable runways are practical is that in which the cards with interlocking lugs can be easily rearranged for expansion of the card system by removing. a runway and sliding off part of the series of cards onto another runway, instead of moving such cards individually.

With the object of improvement in view, the invention consists in construction substantially as herein described and claimed and as setforth in the accompanying drawings of which-A Figure l is a complete panel'with two runways, one of said runways out of position for atttaching and the other set in place.

Figure 2 is a sectional side View on line 22 of Figure 1. V

Figure 3 is a sectional viewshowing a spring card holder or runway flexed or bowed to spring into place.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of sections of the upperand lower parts of a panel.

Figure 5 is a sectional side view on line 5--5 'of Figure 4 with runway removed.

Figure 6 is a sectional cross view on line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a side view of the runway or detachable card carrier.

' Figure 8 is a detail view of the upper part of the panel depression and runway.

Figure 9 shows a design of the card.

Figure 10 is a part of the upper part of a. runway with slide fastening.

Figure .11 is a sectional view showing a panel with folded upper edge partly overlapping the depression.

'The various parts are designated by the same numerals. I is the face of the paneland 2 a depression therein of suitable depth to contain the runway or slide 3 with its outwardly extending flanges 4 to be approximately on a level with the face of the panel as shown in Figure 6. Said runway or card carrying strip also has the lugs or extensions 5 at both its upper and lower extremities.

The depression 2 has openings 1 at the edge of its lower part or through its rim to receive the lower lugs 5 of the runway. Instead of two lugs as shown, one lug of wider proportions may be substituted but the wider slot necessary might tend to weaken the panel depression. At the upper part of the panel depression 2 are slotted openings 6 but wider than those in the lower part, and in addition formed with apertures in the face of the panel so placed, as shown in Figures 4 and 8 to receive the upper lugs 5 of the runway to permit of moving them to one side under the face of the panel for fastening the runway into proper position. The upper two lugs may also be changed to a. single lug of wider proportions adapted to fit a suitable aperture and slot, or, as in Figure 10 the upper end of the runway may have a slide fastening.

For practically the same result the upper part of .the panel may have a turned down folded edge I], the fold extending downward on its face to partly cover the upper portion of the depression 2 to provide space underneath for the upper lug or lugs of the runway 3 or the upper part of the slide fastening. shown in Figure 10.

The overlapping edge I! would require apertures corresponding to slots 6 to receive the upper lugs 5 but no slots need be formed in the body.

For'the slide fastening, Figure 10, no apertures nor slots would be required. The slide attachment may in some cases be preferable although it would add somewhat to the cost. The slide "on the upper part of the runway is attached through the elongated hole I 4 by a rivet and ing pressed out groove 8 on the detachable'runway-or card carrier. The purpose of the pressed l out portions 8 and 9 is, of course, to lock the card carrier releasably' in position in the depressed portion 2 of the panel. The pressed out portions 8 or 9, or their equivalent, may extend only part-way of the length of the runway or card carrier, but when made in the form of ribs, as shown, they have a stiifening tendency for the runway. In use the card carrier 3 has its lower end positioned so that thelower lugs 5--5 will fit into the openings 7 whilefthe upper lugs 5-5 will fit into the apertures 6-6 which are vertically disalined with the opening 1, thus making it necessary to tilt or cant the card holder initially in assembling it with the panel, indicated by the position of the panel 3 in the left-hand portion of Figure 1. In this position it will be apparent that the ribs 8 and 9 are also outl of alinement, but when the upper lugs 55 are moved behind the keeper elements 6a to lock the card carrier in the depressed portion, the rib and groove arrangement 8-9 will becomeinterlocked. With the use of the slide attachment, Figure 10, the runway or card carrier may be positioned without sidewise -i'-;ievement.--

Fr'om the foregoingit will be' apparent that the present inventioncontemplates a panel having spaced. keeper means to and also shoulders comprising keeper meansformed by openings 1 which cooperate with the tongues or lugs Son the cardholder to retain the latter in place, the keeper'means becoming effective by moving the bottom lugs 5 toward the panel and inserting the top lugs 5 in'the openingsfi and then, by movement parallel with the panel, shifting the card holder b'eneaththe' keeper elements 6a. The keeper element's 6a are'alined with the keeper openings 7 at the opposite end of the depression The'curvatureorroll at the bottom edge of the panel is to "form a flange or channel to receive'the."lower edge of the cards on the runway as a protection against damage to the cards. The upper edgeof the panel may have the opening ID for index labels.

'Figure'3 shows a simplemethod of attaching a runway by bending itatits center to spring the mess into-place, but in time or accidentally the bending of the runway would put it-out of alignmentto'lidfiat. y

Detachable 'runwaysfin use with slip on holes interlocking withrivetsfin' the panel depression have a tendency to loosen up. Neither 'do they hold the runwayto lie fiatwithout rocking IZis the styleibi card usedhaving out in'lugs l3 that interlock'the' cards overlapping to within ir'aetio'n'al spaces at the top for names and addresses for other visible index purposes.

Having thus described my invention that which I claim to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-'- a l 1. A card index panel of the kind described having a depressed portion, keeper means at one end of said portion, a detachable runway with extensions at its lower part to engage openings in the lower endoffthe depressed portion of the panel, a 'slide movably attached to the upper part of the runwayIadapted to slide underneath said keeper means, and a groove in the central part .of the runway to -engage a corresponding rib in thejdepre'ss'ed portion of the panel to hold the runway imposition. a

2. A device oi the class described including a panel provided with a depressed portion havin an opening at one end thereof and another opening at'the other end thereof disalined with said first mentioned opening, and keeper means adja- "cent said second mentioned opening and alined with said first mentioned"opening, and'a card carrier having a tongue at each end thereof adapted to fit into said first and second mentioned openings respectively and by movement in a sidewise direction to engage one tongue with said keeper means.

3. A device of the class described including a panel provided with a depressed portion having an opening at one end thereof and another op ning at the other end thereof disalined with said first mentioned opening, and keeper means adjacent said second mentioned opening and alined with said first mentioned opening, a card carrier having a tongue at each end thereof adapted to fitinto saidfirst and second mentioned openings respectively and by movement in a sidewiseqdirection; to engage one tongue with said keeper means, and cooperating means respectively on the panel and said strip adapted to interlock and retain the card carrier in en agement with said keeper means. 4.A device-of the class described including apanel having a depressed portion, a pair of keeper slots i'n-one end of the depressed portion and a pairof slots at the other end of the depressed portion disalined with said first mentioned slots and havingadjacent keeper portions in alinement with said first mentioned slots, and a detachable card carrier having a pair of lugs projecting from each end thereof and adapted to cooperate with said keeper slots and keeper means to 'detachably retain the card holder in said depressed portion, and a rib in the depressed portion of the panel cooperating with the grooved portion of a rib on the card carrier.

5. As an article of manufacture, a filing device comprising a panel of relatively fiat self-sustaining sheet material adapted to be placed vertically in a filing drawer, said panel having spaced openings, and a card carrier strip having integral projections at the extremities thereof and lying in the same plane as the strip for detachably engaging with said openings, and cooperating means on the panel and strip between the projections for detachably locking the strip against accidental displacement.

6. A device of the class described, including a panel having aligned spaced keeper means, a card carrying member adapted to be detachably engagedwith said keeper means, and cooperatiri-g n eansfrespectively on the card holder and panel "and located between said keeper means for preventing accidental displacement of the card carrier from said keeper means.

'7. Index card filing means comprising a panel an edge opening, a card carrier strip having opposite side edge portions on which to slidably engage index cards, and spaced tongues on said strip for insertion through said openings to positions underlying said forwardly offset panel portions to detachably mount said strip on said panel.

8. Index card filing means comprising a panel of sheet material to be placed vertically in a filing drawer, said panel having spaced forwardly offset portions, said offset portions each having an edge opening, a card carrier strip having opposite side edge portions on which to ,slidably engage index cards, spaced tongues on said strip for insertion through said openings to positions underlying said forwardly offset panel portions to'detachably mount said strip on said panel; and cooperating "formations on the panel and the strip interengageable by mounting of the strip on the panel to retain the strip against accidental disengagement from the panel.

9. Index card filing means comprising a panel element of sheet material to be placed vertically in a filing drawer, a card carrier element of sheet material to be mounted on said panel element against the front thereof, one of said elements having spaced portions offset toward the other of said elements, said offset portions each having an edge opening, and spaced tongues on the other of said elements for insertion through said openings to positions overlapping said offset portions to detachably mount said card carrier element on said panel element.

10. Index card filing means comprising a panel element of sheet material to be placed vertically in a filing drawer, a card carrier element of sheet material to be mounted on said panel element against the front thereof, one of said elements having spaced portions offset toward the other of said elements, said offset portions each having an edge opening, spaced tongues on the other of said elements for insertion through said openings to positions overlapping said offset portions to detachably mount said card carrier element on said panel element, and cooperating formations on said panel and card carrier elements interengageable by mounting of the card carrier element on the panel element to retain the former on the latter against accidental disengagement therefrom.

FREDERICK L. G. STRATIBEL. 

